Streptococcus pyogenes antigens

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to antigens, more particularly an antigen of  Streptococcus pygenes  (also called group A  Streptococcus  (GAS)) bacterial pathogen which is useful as vaccine component for therapy and/or prophylaxis.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to antigens, more particularly a polypeptide antigen of Streptococcus pyogenes (also called group A Streptococcus (GAS)) bacterial pathogen which may be useful for prophylaxis, diagnostic and/or therapy of streptococcal infection.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Streptococci are gram (+) bacteria which are differentiated by group specific carbohydrate antigens A through O which are found at the cell surface. Streptococcus pyogenes isolates are further distinguished by type-specific M protein antigens. M proteins are important virulence factors which are highly variable both in molecular weights and in sequences. Indeed, more than 80-M protein types have been identified on the basis of antigenic differences.

Streptococcus pyogenes is responsible for many diverse infection types, including pharyngitis, erysipelas and impetigo, scarlet fever, and invasive diseases such as bacteremia and necrotizing fasciitis and also toxic shock. A resurgence of invasive disease in recent years has been documented in many countries, including those in North America and Europe. Although the organism is sensitive to antibiotics, the high attack rate and rapid onset of sepsis results in high morbidity and mortality.

To develop a vaccine that will protect individuals from Streptococcus pyogenes infection, efforts have concentrated on virulence factors such as the type-specific M proteins. However, the amino-terminal portion of M proteins was found to induce cross-reactive antibodies which reacted with human myocardium, tropomyosin, myosin, and vimentin, which might be implicated in autoimmune diseases. Others have used recombinant techniques to produce complex hybrid proteins containing amino-terminal peptides of M proteins from different serotypes. However, a safe vaccine containing all Streptococcus pyogenes serotypes will be highly complex to produce and standardize.

In addition to the serotype-specific antigens, other Streptococcus pyogenes proteins have generated interest as potential vaccine candidates. The C5a peptidase, which is expressed by at least Streptococcus pyogenes 40 serotypes, was shown to be immunogenic in mice, but its capacity to reduce the level of nasopharyngeal colonization was limited. Other investigators have also focused on the streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxins which appear to play an important role in pathogenesis of infection. Immunization with these proteins prevented the deadly symptoms of toxic shock, but did not prevent colonization.

Therefore there remains an unmet need for Streptococcus pyogenes antigens that may be used vaccine components for prophylaxis, diagnostic and/or therapy of Streptococcus infection.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect, the present invention provides an isolated polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide having at least 70% identity to a second polypeptide comprising a sequence chosen from SEQ ID NOs: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20 or fragments, analogues or derivatives thereof.

According to one aspect, the present invention provides an isolated polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide having at least 95% identity to a second polypeptide comprising a sequence chosen from SEQ ID NOs: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20 or fragments, analogues or derivatives thereof.

In other aspects, there are provided novel polypeptides encoded by polynucleotides of the invention, vectors comprising polynucleotides of the invention operably linked to an expression control region, as well as host cells transfected with said vectors, pharmaceutical or vaccine compositions and methods of producing polypeptides comprising culturing said host cells under conditions suitable for expression.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is the DNA sequence of BVH-P1 gene from serotype 3 S. pyogenes strain ATCC12384 with a secretion signal at position 1 to 75; SEQ ID NO:1.

FIG. 2 is the amino acid sequence BVH-P1 protein from serotype 3 S. pyogenes strain ATCC12384 with a secretion signal at position 1 to 25; SEQ ID NO:2.

FIG. 3 is the DNA sequence of BVH-P1 gene from S. pyogenes strain LSPQ2699(ATCC19615) with a secretion signal at position 1 to 75; SEQ ID NO:3.

FIG. 4 is the amino acid sequence BVH-P1 protein from S. pyogenes strain LSPQ2699(ATCC19615) with a secretion signal at position 1 to 25; SEQ ID NO:4.

FIG. 5 is the DNA sequence of BVH-P1 gene from S. pyogenes strain SPY57 with a secretion signal at position 1 to 75; SEQ ID NO:5.

FIG. 6 is the amino acid sequence BVH-P1 protein from S. pyogenes strain SPY57 with a secretion signal at position 1 to 25; SEQ ID NO:6.

FIG. 7 is the DNA sequence of BVH-P1 gene from S. pyogenes strain B514 with a secretion signal at position 1 to 75; SEQ ID NO:7.

FIG. 8 is the amino acid sequence BVH-P1 protein from S. pyogenes strain B514 with a secretion signal at position 1 to 25; SEQ ID NO:8.

FIG. 9 is the DNA sequence BVH-P1 gene without a secretion signal from serotype 3 S. pyogenes strain ATCC12384; SEQ ID NO:9.

FIG. 10 is the amino acid sequence BVH-P1 protein without a secretion signal from serotype 3 S. pyogenes strain ATCC12384 SEQ ID NO:10.

FIG. 11 is the DNA sequence BVH-P1 gene without a secretion signal from serotype 3 S. pyogenes strain LSPQ2699 (ATCC19615); SEQ ID NO:11.

FIG. 12 is the amino acid sequence BVH-P1 protein without a secretion signal from serotype 3 S. pyogenes strain LSPQ2699 (ATCC19615); SEQ ID NO:12.

FIG. 13 is the DNA sequence BVH-P1 gene without a secretion signal from serotype 3 S. pyogenes strain SPY57; SEQ ID NO:13.

FIG. 14 is the amino acid sequence BVH-P1 protein without a secretion signal from serotype 3 S. pyogenes strain SPY57; SEQ ID NO:14.

FIG. 15 is the DNA sequence BVH-P1 gene without a secretion signal from serotype 3 S. pyogenes strain B514; SEQ ID NO:15.

FIG. 16 is the amino acid sequence BVH-P1 protein without a secretion signal from serotype 3 S. pyogenes strain B514; SEQ ID NO:16.

FIG. 17 depicts the comparison of the nucleotide sequences of the BVH-P1 genes from ATCC12384 (SEQ ID NO: 1), LSPQ2699(ATCC19615) (SEQ ID NO: 3), SPY57 (SEQ ID NO: 5), B514 (SEQ ID NO: 7), ATCC 70029 (Oklahoma) (SEQ ID NO: 32) and T28/51/4 (U09352) (SEQ ID NO: 30) S. pyogenes strains by using the program Clustal W from MacVector sequence analysis software (version 6.5). Underneath the alignment, there is a consensus line. Shaded nucleotides are identical between every sequences and gaps in the sequence introduced by alignment are indicated by hyphens.

FIG. 18 depicts the comparison of the predicted amino acid sequences of the BVH-P1 open reading frames from ATCC12384 (SEQ ID NO: 2), LSPQ2699(ATCC19615) (SEQ ID NO: 4), SPY57 (SEQ ID NO: 6), B514 (SEQ ID NO: 8), ATCC 70029 (Oklahoma) (SEQ ID NO: 33) and T28/51/4 (U09352) (SEQ ID NO: 31) S. pyogenes strains by using the program Clustal W from MacVector sequence analysis software (version 6.5). Underneath the alignment, there is a consensus line. Shaded amino acid residues are identical between every sequences and gaps in the sequence introduced by alignment are indicated by hyphens.

FIG. 19 is the DNA sequence of a gene from S. pneumonia; SEQ ID NO:17.

FIG. 20 is the amino acid sequence of a protein from S. pneumonia; SEQ ID NO:18.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect, the present invention provides an isolated polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide having at least 70% identity to a second polypeptide comprising a sequence chosen from SEQ ID NOs: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20 or fragments, analogues or derivatives thereof.

According to one aspect, the present invention provides an isolated polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide having at least 95% identity to a second polypeptide comprising a sequence chosen from SEQ ID NOs: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20 or fragments, analogues or derivatives thereof.

According to one aspect, the present invention relates to polypeptides characterized by the amino acid sequence comprising SEQ ID NOs: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20 or fragments, analogues or derivatives thereof.

According to one aspect, the present invention provides an isolated polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide capable of generating antibodies having binding specificity for a polypeptide comprising a sequence chosen from SEQ ID NOs: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20 or fragments, analogues or derivatives thereof.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a consensus nucleotide sequence depicted in FIG. 17. As can be seen by the alignment, the polynucleotide encoding the polypeptide of the invention is well conserved. Without restricting the scope of the invention, the following table 1 shows the possible modifications. SEQ ID NO:19 covers the consensus nucleotide sequence depicted in FIG. 17 with the modifications illustrated in Table 1:

Position on alignment in FIG. 17 Possible nucleotide  21 C or T  53 C or T  69 G or A 103 G or C 149 C or T 150 A or T 195 G or A 244 T or C 273 A or C 282 T or C 302 C or A 318 A or G 334 G or T 394 C or T 400 G or A 415 C or T 428-448 [CTGATGTCCCAACGACACCAT] (SEQ ID NO: 34) or none 450 C or A 473 C or T 501 G or A 527 T or C 572 T or A 573 T or A 595 A or C 596 C or G 597 G or C 630 A or G 632 A or C 633 C or T 634 C or T 665 A or G 666 G or A 683 T or C 708 C or T 733 [CAGATGTTAACT] (SEQ ID NO: 35) or none 798 T or C 883 G or none 927 T or A 930 T or C 943 T or none 952 T or A 955 G or A 964 T or C 973 G or A 976 T or G 978 A or T 979 A or T 981 A or G 982 T or C 986 G or A 988 T or G 1033  G or C 1034  C or G 1102  C or T 1143  A or T 1144  A or T 1145  A or T 1146  A or T

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a consensus amino acid sequence depicted in FIG. 18. As can be seen by the alignment, the polypeptide of the invention is well conserved. Without restricting the scope of the invention, the following table 2 shows the possible modifications. SEQ ID NO:20 covers the consensus nucleotide sequence depicted in FIG. 18 with the modifications illustrated in Table 2:

Position on alignment in FIG. 18 Possible amino acid  18 A or V  35 E or Q  50 T or I 101 T or N 112 A or S 132 P or S 134 V or I 139 S or P 143 to 149 SDVPTTP (SEQ ID NO: 36) or none 150 F or L 158 S or F 176 L or s 191 V or E 199 T or P or S 211 D or A 212 P or S 222 E or G 228 V or A 242 to 245 ETSQ (SEQ ID NO: 37) or none 246 E or M 247 T or L 248 S or T 295 A or L 296 S or L 297 A or P 298 F or L 299 G or V 300 I or L 301 T or R 302 S or H 303 F or L 304 S or V 305 G or V 306 Y or T 307 R or V 308 P or Q 309 G or E 310 D or I 311 P or Q 312 G or E 313 D or I 314 H or I 326 E or V 327 N or S 329 A or T 344 E or D 345 R or G 381 E or V 382 N or F

In accordance with the present invention, all polynucleotides encoding polypeptides are within the scope of the present invention.

In a further embodiment, the polypeptides in accordance with the present invention are antigenic.

In a further embodiment, the polypeptides in accordance with the present invention are immunogenic.

In a further embodiment, the polypeptides in accordance with the present invention can elicit an immune response in an individual.

In a further embodiment, the present invention also relates to polypeptides which are able to raise antibodies having binding specificity to the polypeptides of the present invention as defined above.

An antibody that “has binding specificity” is an antibody that recognizes and binds the selected polypeptide but which does not substantially recognize and bind other molecules in a sample, e.g., a biological sample. Specific binding can be measured using an ELISA assay in which the selected polypeptide is used as an antigen.

In accordance with the present invention, “protection” in the biological studies is defined by a significant increase in the survival curve, rate or period. Statistical analysis using the Log rank test to compare survival curves, and Fisher exact test to compare survival rates and numbers of days to death, respectively, might be useful to calculate P values and determine whether the difference between the two groups is statistically significant. P values of 0.05 are regarded as not significant.

As used herein, “fragments”, “analogues” or “derivatives” of the polypeptides of the invention include those polypeptides in which one or more of the amino acid residues are substituted with a conserved or non-conserved amino acid residue (preferably conserved) and which may be natural or unnatural. In one embodiment, derivatives and analogues of polypeptides of the invention will have about 70% identity with those sequences illustrated in the figures or fragments thereof. That is, 70% of the residues are the same. In a further embodiment, polypeptides will have greater than 75% homology. In a further embodiment, polypeptides will have greater than 80% homology. In a further embodiment, polypeptides will have greater than 85% homology. In a further embodiment, polypeptides will have greater than 90% homology. In a further embodiment, polypeptides will have greater than 95% homology. In a further embodiment, polypeptides will have greater than 99% homology. In a further embodiment, derivatives and analogues of polypeptides of the invention will have less than about 20 amino acid residue substitutions, modifications or deletions and more preferably less than 10. Preferred substitutions are those known in the art as conserved i.e. the substituted residues share physical or chemical properties such as hydrophobicity, size, charge or functional groups.

The skilled person will appreciate that fragments, analogues or derivatives of the proteins or polypeptides of the invention will also find use in the context of the present invention, i.e. as antigenic/immunogenic material. Thus, for instance proteins or polypeptides which include one or more additions, deletions, substitutions or the like are encompassed by the present invention. In addition, it may be possible to replace one amino acid with another of similar “type”. For instance replacing one hydrophobic amino acid with another hydropholic amino acid.

One can use a program such as the CLUSTAL program to compare amino acid sequences. This program compares amino acid sequences and finds the optimal alignment by inserting spaces in either sequence as appropriate. It is possible to calculate amino acid identity or similarity (identity plus conservation of amino acid type) for an optimal alignment. A program like BLASTx will align the longest stretch of similar sequences and assign a value to the fit. It is thus possible to obtain a comparison where several regions of similarity are found, each having a different score. Both types of identity analysis are contemplated in the present invention.

In an alternative approach, the analogues or derivatives could be fusion proteins, incorporating moieties which render purification easier, for example by effectively tagging the desired protein or polypeptide, it may be necessary to remove the “tag” or it may be the case that the fusion protein itself retains sufficient antigenicity to be useful.

In an additional aspect of the invention there are provided antigenic/immunogenic fragments of the proteins or polypeptides of the invention, or of analogues or derivatives thereof.

The fragments of the present invention should include one or more epitopic regions or be sufficiently similar to such regions to retain their antigenic/immunogenic properties. Thus, for fragments according to the present invention the degree of identity is perhaps irrelevant, since they may be 100% identical to a particular part of a protein or polypeptide, homologue or derivative as described herein. The key issue, once again, is that the fragment retains the antigenic/immunogenic properties.

Thus, what is important for analogues, derivatives and fragments is that they possess at least a degree of the antigenicity/immunogenic of the protein or polypeptide from which they are derived.

Also included are polypeptides which have fused thereto other compounds which alter the polypeptides biological or pharmacological properties i.e. polyethylene glycol (PEG) to increase half-life; leader or secretory amino acid sequences for ease of purification; prepro- and pro-sequences; and (poly)saccharides.

Furthermore, in those situations where amino acid regions are found to be polymorphic, it may be desirable to vary one or more particular amino acids to more effectively mimic the different epitopes of the different streptococcus strains.

Moreover, the polypeptides of the present invention can be modified by terminal —NH₂ acylation (eg. by acetylation, or thioglycolic acid amidation, terminal carbosy amidation, e.g. with ammonia or methylamine) to provide stability, increased hydrophobicity for linking or binding to a support or other molecule.

Also contemplated are hetero and homo polypeptide multimers of the polypeptide fragments, analogues and derivatives. These polymeric forms include, for example, one or more polypeptides that have been cross-linked with cross-linkers such as avidin/biotin, gluteraldehyde or dimethylsuperimidate. Such polymeric forms also include polypeptides containing two or more tandem or inverted contiguous sequences, produced from multicistronic mRNAs generated by recombinant DNA technology.

Preferably, a fragment, analog or derivative of a polypeptide of the invention will comprise at least one antigenic region i.e. at least one epitope.

In order to achieve the formation of antigenic polymers (i.e. synthetic multimers), polypeptides may be utilized having bishaloacetyl groups, nitroarylhalides, or the like, where the reagents being specific for thio groups. Therefore, the link between two mercapto groups of the different peptides may be a single bond or may be composed of a linking group of at least two, typically at least four, and not more than 16, but usually not more than about 14 carbon atoms.

In a particular embodiment, polypeptide fragments, analogues and derivatives of the invention do not contain a methionine (Met) starting residue. Preferably, polypeptides will not incorporate a leader or secretory sequence (signal sequence). The signal portion of a polypeptide of the invention may be determined according to established molecular biological techniques. In general, the polypeptide of interest may be isolated from a streptococcal culture and subsequently sequenced to determine the initial residue of the mature protein and therefore the sequence of the mature polypeptide.

According to another aspect, there are provided vaccine compositions comprising one or more streptococcal polypeptides of the invention in admixture with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier diluent or adjuvant. Suitable adjuvants include oils i.e. Freund's complete or incomplete adjuvant; salts i.e. AlK(SO₄)₂, AlNa(SO₄)₂, AlNH₄(SO₄)₂, silica, kaolin, carbon polynucleotides i.e. poly IC and poly AU. Preferred adjuvants include QuilA and Alhydrogel. Vaccines of the invention may be administered parenterally by injection, rapid infusion, nasopharyngeal absorption, dermoabsorption, or bucal or oral. Pharmaceutically acceptable carriers also include tetanus toxoid.

The term vaccine is also meant to include antibodies. In accordance with the present invention, there is also provided the use of one or more antibodies having binding specificity for the polypeptides of the present invention for the treatment or prophylaxis of streptococcus infection and/or diseases and symptoms mediated by streptococcus infection.

Vaccine compositions of the invention are used for the treatment or prophylaxis of streptococcal infection and/or diseases and symptoms mediated by streptococcal infection As described in P. R. Murray (Ed, in chief),E. J. Baron, M. A. Pfaller, F. C. Tenover and R. H. Yolken. Manual of Clinical Microbiology, ASM Press, Washington, D.C. sixth edition, 1995, 1482p which are herein incorporated by reference. In one embodiment, vaccine compositions of the present invention are used for the prophylaxis or treatment of pharyngitis, erysipelas and impetigo, scarlet fever, and invasive diseases such as bacteremia and necrotizing fasciitis and also toxic shock. In one embodiment, vaccine compositions of the invention are used for the prophylaxis or treatment of streptococcus infection and/or diseases and symptoms mediated by streptococcus infection, in particular group A streptococcus (pyogenes), group B streptococcus (GBS or agalactiae), S. pneumoniae, dysgalactiae, uberis, nocardia as well as Staphylococcus aureus. In a further embodiment, the streptococcus infection is Streptococcus pyogenes.

In a particular embodiment, vaccines are administered to those individuals at risk of streptococcus infection such as infants, elderly and immunocompromised individuals.

As used in the present application, the term “individuals” include mammals. In a further embodiment, the mammal is human.

Vaccine compositions are preferably in unit dosage form of about 0.001 to 100 μg/kg (antigen/body weight) and more preferably 0.01 to 10 μg/kg and most preferably 0.1 to 1 μg/kg 1 to 3 times with an interval of about 1 to 6 week intervals between immunizations.

Vaccine compositions are preferably in unit dosage form of about 0.1 μg to 10 mg and more preferably 1 μg to 1 mg and most preferably 10 to 100 μg 1 to 3 times with an interval of about 1 to 6 week intervals between immunizations.

According to another aspect, there are provided polynucleotides encoding polypeptides characterized by the amino acid sequence chosen from SEQ ID NOs: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20 or fragments, analogues or derivatives thereof.

In one embodiment, polynucleotides are those illustrated in SEQ ID NOs: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 19 which may include the open reading frames (ORF), encoding polypeptides of the invention.

It will be appreciated that the polynucleotide sequences illustrated in the figures may be altered with degenerate codons yet still encode the polypeptides of the invention. Accordingly the present invention further provides polynucleotides which hybridize to the polynucleotide sequences herein above described (or the complement sequences thereof) having 50% identity between sequences. In one embodiment, at least 70% identity between sequences. In one embodiment, at least 75% identity between sequences. In one embodiment, at least 80% identity between sequences. In one embodiment, at least 85% identity between sequences. In one embodiment, at least 90% identity between sequences. In a further embodiment, polynucleotides are hybridizable under stringent conditions i.e. having at least 95% identity. In a further embodiment, more than 97% identity.

Suitable stringent conditions for hybridation can be readily determined by one of skilled in the art (see for example Sambrook et al., (1989) Molecular cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 2^(nd) ed, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.; Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, (1999) Edited by Ausubel F. M. et al., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., N.Y.).

In a further embodiment, the present invention provides polynucleotides that hybridise under stringent conditions to either

-   (a) a DNA sequence encoding a polypeptide or -   (b) the complement of a DNA sequence encoding a polypeptide;     wherein said polypeptide comprising a sequence chosen from SEQ ID     NOs: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20 or fragments or analogues     thereof.

In a further embodiment, the present invention provides polynucleotides that hybridise under stringent conditions to either

-   (a) a DNA sequence encoding a polypeptide or -   (b) the complement of a DNA sequence encoding a polypeptide;     wherein said polypeptide comprises at least 10 contiguous amino acid     residues from a polypeptide comprising a sequence chosen from SEQ ID     NOs: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20 or fragments or analogues     thereof.

In a further embodiment, polynucleotides are those encoding polypeptides of the invention illustrated in SEQ ID NOs: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20.

In a further embodiment, polynucleotides are those illustrated in SEQ ID NOs: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 19 encoding polypeptides of the invention.

As will be readily appreciated by one skilled in the art, polynucleotides include both DNA and RNA.

The present invention also includes polynucleotides complementary to the polynucleotides described in the present application.

In a further aspect, polynucleotides encoding polypeptides of the invention, or fragments, analogues or derivatives thereof, may be used in a DNA immunization method. That is, they can be incorporated into a vector which is replicable and expressible upon injection thereby producing the antigenic polypeptide in vivo. For example polynucleotides may be incorporated into a plasmid vector under the control of the CMV promoter which is functional in eukaryotic cells. Preferably the vector is injected intramuscularly.

According to another aspect, there is provided a process for producing polypeptides of the invention by recombinant techniques by expressing a polynucleotide encoding said polypeptide in a host cell and recovering the expressed polypeptide product. Alternatively, the polypeptides can be produced according to established synthetic chemical techniques i.e. solution phase or solid phase synthesis of oligopeptides which are ligated to produce the full polypeptide (block ligation).

General methods for obtention and evaluation of polynucleotides and polypeptides are described in the following references: Sambrook et al, Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 2nd ed, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., 1989; Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Edited by Ausubel F. M. et al., John Wiley and Sons, Inc. New York; PCR Cloning Protocols, from Molecular Cloning to Genetic Engineering, Edited by White B. A., Humana Press, Totowa, N.J., 1997, 490 pages; Protein Purification, Principles and Practices, Scopes R. K., Springer-Verlag, New York, 3rd Edition, 1993, 380 pages; Current Protocols in Immunology, Edited by Coligan J. E. et al., John Wiley & Sons Inc., New York which are herein incorporated by reference.

For recombinant production, host cells are transfected with vectors which encode the polypeptide, and then cultured in a nutrient media modified as appropriate for activating promoters, selecting transformants or amplifying the genes. Suitable vectors are those that are viable and replicable in the chosen host and include chromosomal, non-chromosomal and synthetic DNA sequences e.g. bacterial plasmids, phage DNA, baculovirus, yeast plasmids, vectors derived from combinations of plasmids and phage DNA. The polypeptide sequence may be incorporated in the vector at the appropriate site using restriction enzymes such that it is operably linked to an expression control region comprising a promoter, ribosome binding site (consensus region or Shine-Dalgarno sequence), and optionally an operator (control element). One can select individual components of the expression control region that are appropriate for a given host and vector according to established molecular biology principles (Sambrook et al, Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 2nd ed, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., 1989; Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Edited by Ausubel F. M. et al., John. Wiley and Sons, Inc. New York incorporated herein by reference). Suitable promoters include but are not limited to LTR or SV40 promoter, E. coli lac, tac or trp promoters and the phage lambda P_(L) promoter. Vectors will preferably incorporate an origin of replication as well as selection markers i.e. ampicilin resistance gene. Suitable bacterial vectors include pET, pQE70, pQE60, pQE-9, pbs, pD10 phagescript, psiX174, pbluescript SK, pbsks, pNH8A, pNH16a, pNH18A, pNH46A, ptrc99a, pKK223-3, pKK233-3, pDR540, pRIT5 and eukaryotic vectors pBlueBacIII, pWLNEO, pSV2CAT, pOG44, pXT1, pSG, pSVK3, pBPV, pMSG and pSVL. Host cells may be bacterial i.e. E. coli, Bacillus subtilis, Streptomyces; fungal i.e. Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus nidulins; yeast i.e. Saccharomyces or eukaryotic i.e. CHO, COS.

Upon expression of the polypeptide in culture, cells are typically harvested by centrifugation then disrupted by physical or chemical means (if the expressed polypeptide is not secreted into the media) and the resulting crude extract retained to isolate the polypeptide of interest. Purification of the polypeptide from culture media or lysate may be achieved by established techniques depending on the properties of the polypeptide i.e. using ammonium sulfate or ethanol precipitation, acid extraction, anion or cation exchange chromatography, phosphocellulose chromatography, hydrophobic interaction chromatography, hydroxylapatite chromatography and lectin chromatography. Final purification may be achieved using HPLC.

The polypeptide may be expressed with or without a leader or secretion sequence. In the former case the leader may be removed using post-translational processing (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,739; U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,437; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,338,397 incorporated herein by reference) or be chemically removed subsequent to purifying the expressed polypeptide.

According to a further aspect, the streptococcal polypeptides of the invention may be used in a diagnostic test for streptococcus infection, in particular Streptococcus pyogenes infection. Several diagnostic methods are possible, for example detecting streptococcus organism in a biological sample, the following procedure may be followed:

-   a) obtaining a biological sample from an individual; -   b) incubating an antibody or fragment thereof reactive with a     streptococcus polypeptide of the invention with the biological     sample to form a mixture; and -   c) detecting specifically bound antibody or bound fragment in the     mixture which indicates the presence of streptococcus.

Alternatively, a method for the detection of antibody specific to a streptococcus antigen in a biological sample containing or suspected of containing said antibody may be performed as follows:

-   a) obtaining a biological sample from an individual; -   b) incubating one or more streptococcus polypeptides of the     invention or fragments thereof with the biological sample to form a     mixture; and -   c) detecting specifically bound antigen or bound fragment in the     mixture which indicates the presence of antibody specific to     streptococcus.

One of skill in the art will recognize that this diagnostic test may take several forms, including an immunological test such as an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), a radioimmunoassay or a latex agglutination assay, essentially to determine whether antibodies specific for the protein are present in an individual.

The DNA sequences encoding polypeptides of the invention may also be used to design DNA probes for use in detecting the presence of streptococcus in a biological sample suspected of containing such bacteria. The detection method of this invention comprises:

-   a) obtaining the biological sample from an individual; -   b) incubating one or more DNA probes having a DNA sequence encoding     a polypeptide of the invention or fragments thereof with the     biological sample to form a mixture; and -   c) detecting specifically bound DNA probe in the mixture which     indicates the presence of streptococcus bacteria.

The DNA probes of this invention may also be used for detecting circulating streptococcus i.e. Streptococcus pyogenes nucleic acids in a sample, for example using a polymerase chain reaction, as a method of diagnosing streptococcus infections. The probe may be synthesized using conventional techniques and may be immobilized on a solid phase, or may be labelled with a detectable label. A preferred DNA probe for this application is an oligomer having a sequence complementary to at least about 6 contiguous nucleotides of the Streptococcus pyogenes polypeptides of the invention.

Another diagnostic method for the detection of streptococcus in an individual comprises:

-   a) labelling an antibody reactive with a polypeptide of the     invention or fragment thereof with a detectable label; -   b) administering the labelled antibody or labelled fragment to the     patient; and -   c) detecting specifically bound labelled antibody or labelled     fragment in the patient which indicates the presence of     streptococcus.

A further aspect of the invention is the use of the streptococcus polypeptides of the invention as immunogens for the production of specific antibodies for the diagnosis and in particular the treatment of streptococcus infection. Suitable antibodies may be determined using appropriate screening methods, for example by measuring the ability of a particular antibody to passively protect against streptococcus infection in a test model. One example of an animal model is the mouse model described in the examples herein. The antibody may be a whole antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereof and may belong to any immunoglobulin class. The antibody or fragment may be of animal origin, specifically of mammalian origin and more specifically of murine, rat or human origin. It may be a natural antibody or a fragment thereof, or if desired, a recombinant antibody or antibody fragment. The term recombinant antibody or antibody fragment means antibody or antibody fragment which was produced using molecular biology techniques. The antibody or antibody fragments may be polyclonal, or preferably monoclonal. It may be specific for a number of epitopes associated with the Streptococcus pyogenes polypeptides but is preferably specific for one.

A further aspect of the invention is the use of the antibodies directed to the streptococcus polypeptides of the invention for passive immunization. One could use the antibodies described in the present application. Suitable antibodies may be determined using appropriate screening methods, for example by measuring the ability of a particular antibody to passively protect against streptococcus infection in a test model. One example of an animal model is the mouse model described in the examples herein. The antibody may be a whole antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereof and may belong to any immunoglobulin class. The antibody or fragment may be of animal origin, specifically of mammalian origin and more specifically of murine, rat or human origin. It may be a natural antibody or a fragment thereof, or if desired, a recombinant antibody or antibody fragment. The term recombinant antibody or antibody fragment means antibody or antibody fragment which was produced using molecular biology techniques. The antibody or antibody fragments may be polyclonal, or preferably monoclonal. It may be specific for a number of epitopes associated with the streptococcus pneumoniae polypeptides but is preferably specific for one.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will control. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

EXAMPLE 1

This example illustrates the cloning of S. pyogenes gene.

The coding region of S. pyogenes gene BVH-P1 (SEQ ID NO:1) was amplified by PCR (DNA Thermal Cycler Genenp PCR system 2400 Perkin Elmer, San Jose, Calif.) from genomic DNA of serotype 3 S. pyogenes strain ATCC12384 using the following oligos that contained base extensions for the addition of restriction sites NcoI (CCATGG) and XhoI (CTCGAG): DMAR16 (5′-CAGGCCATGGAGTGGACACCACGATCGGTTAC-3′) (SEQ ID NO: 21); DMAR17 (5′-GCCGCTCGAGAGCATTAAAGGAGACATGAACATGATC-3′) (SEQ ID NO: 22). PCR products were purified from agarose gel using a QIAquick gel extraction kit from QIAgen following the manufacturer's instructions (Chatsworth, Calif.), and digested with NcoI and XhoI (Pharmacia Canada Inc, Baie d'Urfé, Canada). The pET-21d(+) vector (Novagen, Madison, Wis.) was digested with NcoI and XhoI and purified from agarose gel using a QIAquick gel extraction kit from QIAgen (Chatsworth, Calif.). The NcoI-XhoI PCR products were ligated to the NcoI-XhoI pET-21d(+)expression vector. The ligated products were transformed into E. coli strain E. coli strain DH5α [φ80dlacZΔM15 Δ(lacZYA-argF)U169 endA1 recA1 hsdR17(r_(K)−m_(K)+) deoR thi-1 supE44 λ⁻gyrA96 relA1] (Gibco BRL, Gaithersburg, Md.) according to the method of Simanis (Hanahan, D. DNA Cloning, 1985, D. M. Glover (ed), pp. 109-135). Recombinant pET-21d(+)plasmid (rpET21d(+)) containing BVH-P1 gene was purified using a QIAgen plasmid kit (Chatsworth, Calif.) and DNA insert was sequenced (Taq Dye Deoxy Terminator Cycle Sequencing kit, ABI, Foster City, Calif.).

It was determined that the open reading frame (ORF) which codes for BVHP1 contains 1170-bp and encodes a 389 amino acid residues polypeptide with a predicted pI of 4.37 and a predicted molecular mass of 41054 Da.

Analysis of the predicted amino acid residues sequence (SEQ ID NO:2)using the Spscan sofware (Wisconsin Sequence Analysis Package; Genetics Computer Group) suggested the existence of a 25 amino acid residues signal peptide (MIITKKSLFVTSVALSLAPLATAQA) (SEQ ID NO: 23), which ends with a cleavage site situated between an alanine and a glutamine residues. Analysis of this ORF did not revealed the presence of repetitive structures, cell wall anchoring motif (LPXTG) (SEQ ID NO: 24), or IgA binding motif (MLKKIE) (SEQ ID NO: 25).

An ORF which shares 62% with the S. pyogenes BVH-P1 gene was initially presented in the patent application PCT/CA99/00114 which described Group B streptococcus antigens. BVH-P1 gene was also found to share homology (62% identity) with an ORF present in the genome of S. pneumoniae (The Institute for Genomic Research).

EXAMPLE 2

This example describes the PCR amplification and sequencing of BVH-P1 gene from other S. pyogenes strains and the evaluation of the level of molecular conservation of this gene.

Lancefield's serogroup A S. pyogenes LSPQ2296 (ATCC 19615) was provided by the laboratoire de la santé publique du Québec, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue; serotype 1 S. pyogenes SPY57 clinical isolate was provided by the centre de recherche en infectiologie du centre hospitalier de l'université´ Laval, Sainte-Foy; and S. pyogenes strain B514 which was initially isolated from a mouse was provided by Susan Hollingshead, from University of Alabama, Birmingham. The respective coding region of S. pyogenes gene BVH-P1 from strains ATCC 12384 (SEQ ID NO:1), LSPQ2699(ATCC19615) (SEQ ID NO:3), SPY57 (SEQ ID NO:5), and B514 (SEQ ID NO:7) were amplified by PCR (DNA Thermal Cycler GeneAmp PCR system 2400 Perkin Elmer, San Jose, Calif.) from bacterial cell lysates using the following oligos DMAR69 (5′-CTGGGAAGATTATCTAGCACATTAATAC-3′) (SEQ ID NO: 26); DMAR72 (5′-CATAACGTTAAAACTGTCTAAAGGG-3′) (SEQ ID NO: 27). PCR products were purified from agarose gel using a QIAquick gel extraction kit from QIAgen following the manufacturer's instructions (Chatsworth, Calif.) and the DNA insert were sequenced (Taq Dye Deoxy Terminator Cycle Sequencing kit, ABI, Foster City, Calif.). The predicted amino acid sequences from strains ATCC12384 (SEQ ID NO:2), LSPQ2699(ATCC19615) (SEQ ID NO:4), SPY57 (SEQ ID NO:6), and B514 (SEQ ID NO:8) were respectively presented in the following FIGS. 2, 4, 6, and 8.

The FIGS. 17 and 18 respectively depict the consensus nucleotide and predicted amino acid sequences established for S. pyogenes BVH-P1. In addition to the sequences presented herewith, the BVH-P1 gene sequences from the genome sequencing project at the University of Oklahoma (serotype M1 S. pyogenes strain ATCC 70029: http://dnal.chem.ou.edu/strep.html) and from (Kil et al. 1994. Infect. Immun. 62:2440-2449: GenBank accession number U09352) were also included. No function or role in the pathogenesis of the bacteria or protection against infection was described by Kil et al. for the sequence with GenBank accession number U09352. This latter sequence presented by Kil et al. was shown to be located upstream of a S. pyogenes 67 kDa myosin-cross-reactive antigen.

Pairwise comparison of the BVH-P1 predicted protein sequences revealed between 95 to 100% identity with the exception of the BVH-P1 sequence obtained from GenBank under the accesssion number U09352. Pairwise comparison of that particular sequence with the other five BVH-P1 sequences indicated identity between 87 to 91%. This lower homology can be explained by the presence of two regions (119-124 and 262-281) which are more divergent comparatively to the other BVH-P1 gene sequences. Beside these two regions in the BVH-P1 sequence obtained from GenBank under the accesssion number U09352, the BVH-P1 genes showed great similarity in overall organization.

EXAMPLE 3

This example illustrates the cloning of S. pyogenes protein gene in CMV plasmid pCMV-GH.

The DNA coding region of a S. pyogenes protein was inserted in phase downstream of a human growth hormone (hGH) gene which was under the transcriptional control of the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promotor in the plasmid vector pCMV-GH (Tang et al., Nature, 1992, 356:152). The CMV promotor is a non functional plasmid in E. coli cells but is active upon administration of the plasmid in eukaryotic cells. The vector also incorporated the ampicillin resistance gene.

The coding region of BVH-P1 gene (SEQ ID NO:9) without its leader peptide region was amplified by PCR (DNA Thermal Cycler GeneAmp PCR system 2400 Perkin Elmer, San Jose, Calif.) from genomic DNA of serotype 3 S. pyogenes strain ATCC12384 using the following oligos that contained base extensions for the addition of restriction sites BamHI (GGATCC) and SalI (GTCGAC): DMAR24 (5′-TACCCGGATCCCCAAGAGTGGACACCACGATCGG-3′) (SEQ ID NO: 28); DMAR25 (5′-GCGCTCGTCGACGCGTATCTCAGCCTCTTATAGGGC-3′) (SEQ ID NO: 29). The PCR product was purified from agarose gel using a QIAquick gel extraction kit from QIAgen (Chatsworth, Calif.), digested with restriction enzymes (Pharmacia Canada Inc, Baie d'Urfe, Canada). The pCMV-GH vector (Laboratory of Dr. Stephen A. Johnston, Department of Biochemistry, The University of Texas, Dallas, Tex.) was digested with BamHI and SalI and purified from agarose gel using the QIAquick gel extraction kit from QIAgen (Chatsworth, Calif.). The BamHI-SalI DNA fragments were ligated to the BamHI-SalI pCMV-GH vector to create the hGH-BVH-P1 fusion protein under the control of the CMV promoter. The ligated products were transformed into E. coli strain DH5α [φ80dlacZΔM15 Δ(lacZYA-argF)U169 endA1 recA1 hsdR17(r_(K)−m_(K)+) deoR thi-1 supE44 λ⁻gyrA96 relA1] (Gibco BRL, Gaithersburg, Md.) according to the method of Simanis (Hanahan, D. DNA Cloning, 1985, D. M. Glover (ed), pp. 109-135). The recombinant pCMV plasmid was purified using a QIAgen plasmid kit (Chatsworth, Calif.) and the nucleotide sequence of the DNA insert was verified by DNA sequencing.

EXAMPLE 4

This example illustrates the use of DNA to elicit an immune response to S. pyogenes antigens.

A group of 8 female BALB/c mice (Charles River, St-Constant, Québec, Canada) were immunized by intramuscular injection of 100 μl three times at two- or three-week intervals with 50 μg of recombinant PCMV-GH encoding BVH-P1 gene in presence of 50 μg of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-expressing plasmid pCMV-GH-GM-CSF (Laboratory of Dr. Stephen A. Johnston, Department of Biochemistry, The University of Texas, Dallas, Tex.). As control, a group of mice were injected with 50 μg of pCMV-GH in presence of 50 μg of pCMV-GH-GM-CSF. Blood samples were collected from the orbital sinus prior to each immunization and seven days following the third injection and serum antibody responses were determined by ELISA using purified BVH-P1-His•Tag from SEQ ID NO:11 S. pyogenes recombinant protein as coating antigen.

EXAMPLE 5

This example illustrates the production and purification of recombinant S. pyogenes BVH-P1 protein.

The recombinant pET-21d(+)plasmid with BVH-P1 gene corresponding to the SEQ ID NO:9 was used to transform by electroporation (Gene Pulser II apparatus, BIO-RAD Labs, Mississauga, Canada) E. coli strain BL21(DE3) (F⁻ompT hsdS_(B) (r⁻ _(B)m⁻ _(B)) gal dcm (DE3)) (Novagen, Madison, Wis.). In this strain of E. coli, the T7 promotor controlling expression of the recombinant protein is specifically recognized by the T7 RNA polymerase (present on the λDE3 prophage) whose gene is under the control of the lac promotor which is inducible by isopropyl-β-d-thio-galactopyranoside (IPTG). The transformant BL21(DE3)/rpET was grown at 37° C. with agitation at 250 rpm in LB broth (peptone 10 g/L, yeast extract 5 g/L, NaCl 10 g/L) containing 100 μg of carbenicillin (Sigma-Aldrich Canada Ltd., Oakville, Canada) per ml until the A₆₀₀ reached a value of 0.6. In order to induce the production of S. pyogenes BVH-P1-His•Tag recombinant protein (from SEQ ID NO:10), the cells were incubated for 3 additional hours in the presence of IPTG at a final concentration of 1 mM. Induced cells from a 500 ml culture were pelleted by centrifugation and frozen at −70° C.

The purification of the recombinant proteins from the soluble cytoplasmic fraction of IPTG-induced BL21(DE3)/rpET21b(+) was done by affinity chromatography based on the properties of the His•Tag sequence (6 consecutive histidine residues) to bind to divalent cations (Ni²⁺) immobilized on the His•Bind metal chelation resin. Briefly, the pelleted cells obtained from a 500 mL culture induced with IPTG was resuspended in lysis buffer (20 mM Tris, 500 mM NaCl. 10 mM imidazole, pH 7.9) containing 1 mM PMSF, sonicated and centrifuged at 12,000×g for 20 min to remove debris. The supernatant was deposited on a Ni-NTA agarose column (Qiagen, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada). The S. pyogenes BVH-P1-His•Tag recombinant protein (from SEQ ID NO:10) was eluted with 250 mM imidazole-500 mM NaCl-20 mM Tris pH 7.9. The removal of the salt and imidazole from the sample was done by dialysis against PBS at 4° C. The quantities of recombinant protein obtained from the soluble fraction of E. coli was estimated by MicroBCA (Pierce, Rockford, Ill.).

EXAMPLE 6

This example illustrates the accessibility to antibodies of the BVH-P1 protein at the surface of S. pyogenes strain.

Bacteria were grown in Tood Hewitt (TH) broth (Difco Laboratories, Detroit Mich.) with 0.5% Yeast extract (Difco Laboratories) and 0.5% peptone extract (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany) at 37° C. in a 8% CO₂ atmosphere to give an OD_(490nm) of 0.600 (˜10⁸ CFU/ml). Dilutions of anti-BVH-P1 or control sera were then added and allowed to bind to the cells, which were incubated for 2 h at 4° C. Samples were washed 4 times in blocking buffer [phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) containing 2% bovine serum albumin (BSA)], and then 1 ml of goat fluorescein (FITC)-conjugated anti-mouse IgG+IgM diluted in blocking buffer was added. After an additional incubation of 60 min at room temperature, samples were washed 4 times in blocking buffer and fixed with 0.25% formaldehyde in PBS buffer for 18-24 h at 4° C. Cells were washed 2 times in PBS buffer and resuspended in 500 μl of PBS buffer. Cells were kept in the dark at 4° C. until analyzed by flow cytometry (Epics® XL; Beckman Coulter, Inc.). Flow cytometric analysis revealed that BVH-P1-specific antibodies efficiently recognized their corresponding surface exposed epitopes on both the homologous (ATCC12384; serotype3) and the heterologous (SPY57; seotype 1) S. pyogenes strains tested. It was determined that more than 90% of the 10,000 S. pyogenes cells analyzed were labeled with the antobodies present in the BVH-MC1 specific anti-sera. These observations clearly demonstrate that the BVH-P1 protein is accessible at the surface where it can be easily recognized by antibodies. Anti-S. pyogenes antibodies were shown to play an important role in the protection against S. pyogenes infection.

EXAMPLE 7

This example illustrates the protection against fatal S. pyogenes infection induced by passive immunization of mice with rabbit hyper-immune sera.

New Zealand rabbits (Charles River laboratories, Montreal, Canada) were injected subcutaneously at multiple sites with approximately 50 μg and 100 μg of BVH-P1-His•Tag protein (from SEQ ID NO:10) that was produced and purified as described in Example 5 and adsorbed to Alhydrogel adjuvant (Superfos Biosector a/s). Rabbits were immunized three times at three-week intervals with the BVH-P1-His•Tag protein (from SEQ ID NO:10). Blood samples were collected three weeks after the third injection. The antibodies present in the serum were purified by precipitation using 40% saturated ammonium sulfate. Groups of 10 female CD-1 mice (Charles River) were injected intravenously with 500 μl of purified serum collected either from BVH-P1-His•Tag (from SEQ ID NO:10) immunized rabbits or rabbits immunized with an unrelated control recombinant protein. Eighteen hours later the mice were challenged with approximately 2×10⁷ CFU of the type 3 S. pyogenes strain ATCC12384. Samples of the S. pyogenes challenge inoculum were plated on blood agar plates to determine the CFU and to verify the challenge dose. Deaths were recorded for a period of 5 days.

EXAMPLE 8

This example illustrates the protection of mice against fatal S. pyogenes infection induced by immunization with BVH-P1 protein.

Groups of 8 female CD-1 mice (Charles River) were immunized subcutaneously three times at three-week intervals with 20 μg of affinity purified S. pyogenes BVH-P1-His•Tag recombinant protein (from SEQ ID NO:10) in presence of 10 μg of QuilA adjuvant (Cedarlane Laboratories Ltd, Hornby, Canada) or, as control, with QuilA adjuvant alone in PBS. Blood samples were collected from the orbital sinus on day 1, 22 and 43 prior to each immunization and seven days (day 50) following the third injection. Analysis by ELISA using purified recombinant BVH-P1 protein (from SEQ ID NO:10) clearly indicated that this protein is highly immunogenic in animals. Indeed reciprocal ELISA titers higher than 10⁶ were determined for the mice immunized with this recombinant protein. Two weeks later the mice were challenged with approximately 2×10⁷ CFU of the type 3 S. pyogenes strain ATCC12384. Samples of the S. pyogenes challenge inoculum were plated on blood agar plates to determine the CFU and to verify the challenge dose. Deaths were recorded for a period of 5 days. Five out of the 8 (62%) mice immunized with three injections of 20 μg of purified recombinant BVH-P1 (from SEQ ID NO:10) and QuilA adjuvant survived the bacterial challenge to only 2/7 (28%)in the control group.

TABLE 3 Immunization of CD-1 mice with purified recombinant BVH-P1 protein confers protection against subsequent challenge with S. pyogenes strain ATCC 12384 Survival of the mice challenged with S. pyogenes strain ATCC 12384 (Day after challenge: number of survivors/total number of mice challenged)) Groups 1 2 3 4 5 20 μg of 8/8 8/8 7/8 6/8 5/8 BVH-P1- His•Tag Control 7/7 6/7 3/7 2/7 2/7 

1. An isolated polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, or
 33. 2. An isolated polypeptide according to claim 1, wherein the N-terminal Met residue of SEQ ID NO: 2, 4, 6, 8, or 33 is deleted.
 3. A composition comprising the polypeptide according to claim 1 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, diluent or adjuvant.
 4. A composition comprising the polypeptide according to claim 2 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, diluent or adjuvant.
 5. A method for therapeutic treatment of a Streptococcus pyogenes infection in an individual, comprising administering to said individual a therapeutic amount of the polypeptide of claim
 1. 6. A method for therapeutic treatment of a Streptococcus pyogenes infection in an individual, comprising administering to said individual a therapeutic amount of the polypeptide of claim
 2. 7. An isolated BVH-P1 polypeptide which is encoded by a polynucleotide that is capable of being amplified by polymerase chain reaction from DNA using oligonucleotides of SEQ ID NO: 26 and SEQ ID NO: 27, wherein said polypeptide has at least 95% sequence identity along its entire length to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20 or 33, and which is capable of eliciting antibodies specific to Streptococcus pyogenes, wherein said polypeptide does not have the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
 31. 8. The isolated BVH-P1 polypeptide of claim 7, wherein said DNA is Streptococcus pyogenes genomic DNA.
 9. The Anisolated polypeptide of claim 7, wherein said polypeptide has more than 97% sequence identity.
 10. An isolated polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 20 wherein the polypeptide does not comprise the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
 31. 11. The polypeptide according to claim 10, wherein the N-terminal Met residue of SEQ ID NO: 20 is deleted. 